Glimpses from My Garden : First Fruits

I love fresh, homegrown tomatoes.  We are blessed with a 2 local farmers markets.  All the offerings are grown locally and many of the farmers depend on local sales to make ends meet.  I love supporting our local farmers because they work so hard to bring us delicious food.  For the past few weeks, I've been supporting our markets by buying tomatoes.  There is just nothing like a fresh, homegrown tomato.  I've been enjoying tomato sandwiches for lunch most everyday.  I'm just saying.....there's nothing better!

I will continue to shop with our local farmers, but I'm so excited that our tomatoes are finally getting ripe.  Here are our first fruits!  A couple of them look like romas, but they are all Better Boys ....and boy, are they good!  We've been having some yellow grape tomatoes for the past few weeks.  I haven't snapped any pics because they are usually consumed quickly...sometimes right off the vine.

I shared this picture on my personal FB page.  A friend commented that the tomato on the bottom was quite odd looking.  Yes, it is!  Amazingly....it tastes just like a sweet banana pepper!  {hoping my peppers will come on and do well.  They've had a slow start, so far}

So...do you love tomatoes?  What's your favorite way to eat fresh tomatoes?  BLT?  Tomatoes and mayo on white bread {that's an Old South delicacy!}, something a little more fancy?  Let me know!

If you have a local farmers market, show 'em some love!  You won't find food that is any better or more fresh anywhere!

Blackberry Cobbler Recipe {again}

I see Blackberry Cobbler on our menu for the weekend.  If you've run across some great berries lately, you might give my simple little recipe a go.  Be sure to pick up some vanilla ice cream too!  It's a sin to have cobbler with out ice cream, ya know!

Happy Hot Summer Weekend!

Wordless Wednesday : Fly Away Home

Homegrown Veggie Medley Recipe

Having a garden can be work, but it is oh so rewarding when the harvest starts!

All of the vegetables & herbs in this dish came from our garden {with the exception of the mushrooms}.  It was super quick and delicious.  After grilling chicken for dinner, Sew Daddy just put this in his handy-dandy saute' pan for the grill.  In a few minutes, we had the most divine side dish EV-AH!!!  For those who refrain from eating meat, this would be a delicious vegetarian dish too.

If you don't have your own garden, the local farmers market has everything you need to create your own medley to grill AND the farmers will appreciate your business!  You can put together your own combination, but I'll share what we used.

Nothing was measured in this creation.  Use as much or as little as you like!  :)

Grilled Garden Veggie Medley
4-5 garden fresh yellow squash
1 garden fresh Japanese eggplant
1/2 garden fresh Zucchini-zilla {or a couple of regular zukes}
1 handful garden fresh grape tomatoes, whole or cut in half
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms {portabellos would be delicious here too}
6-8 leaves garden fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade
garden fresh thyme, as much as you like
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt
fresh cracked black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Cut the squash, eggplant, & zukes into slices about 1/2" thick.  In a bowl, combine veggies with tomatoes, herbs & garlic.  Add salt & pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil, not to much; just enough to coat everything well.  Grill until desired doneness & enjoy!

If you don't have a grill, you may also roast the veggies in a 350' oven for 20-30 minutes or until they reach your desired state of doneness.

Tomato Time & Zucchini-zilla

Our little garden is doing quite well!  I'm so excited that the tomatoes have finally ripened!!!  Of all the thing we planted, tomatoes are my favorite!  What's not to love about a BLT or just a plain ol' tomato sandwich.  GOODNESS!

Here is one of our yummy tomatoes.  We've been blessed with large fruit and no blemishes.

Our little grape tomatoes are coming in abundance and are so sweet! I've been putting them in everything from salads to sauteed spinach to a fresh tomato-basil-feta salad. They aren't bad to snack on either. You can see just a few of our bounty; along with a few little yellow heirloom grapes tomatoes. That plant hasn't done as well, but I'll definitely try again next year. The yellow tomatoes have a different, delicious flavor.

And then there's this . . ZUCCHINI - ZILLA

Our zucchini plants are huge.  The leaves are larger than dinner plates, but we have only a few blooms.  As of the weekend, this was the only zuke we had seen.  I found it when it was the size of a small cucumber so I decided to let it go another day or so.

Well, when I went to pick it, this is what I found :  Zucchini-Zilla!    I had never seen a zucchini this large!  I picked it thinking it would be pretty tough & nasty tasting.  To my surprise, it was very good.  I put part of it in a veggie mix which we grilled.  {I'll share pics & a recipe soon.}

If you have an abundance of tomatoes, you are probably looking for ways to use them.  This is one of my favorite, easy summertime recipes that won't heat up the kitchen.

Halfway

Today is July 1

The first half of 2010 has past.

Wasn't Christmas just a couple of weeks ago?

Didn't we just watch the ball drop in Times Square?

Winter Olympics are still fresh in my mind.

Our vacation to the beach {while it was still pristine} was like yesterday.

Softball games.

Try-outs.

Graduation.

Weddings.

VBS.

Summer . . .  ahhhh!  :)

Make the most of the rest of your 2010!

Life is good!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

So far, So good!

My name is not Mary and I'm not usually contrary,

but this garden thing has worked out pretty well so far. 

It is our first year to have a true garden.  We've had tomato plants in the past,

but this year I wanted to expand {and hopefully cut the grocery bill a bit this summer}

It's all really a learning process for us, but it's been fun!

Sew Daddy built us 2 raised planting beds from these instructions.  The beds are WONDERFUL!  Did you see that he even dressed them up a bit with copper covers for the 4x4s in the corners.  Love that!  In this bed, we have planted lettuce, beans, eggplant, yellow squash and cucumbers.

The Tomato Jungle!  We planted some Better Boys, one grape tomato plant and an heirloom yellow tomato plant.  They seem to be pretty happy here.  Next year we will have taller tomato supports as we have in the past. We have these tied & rigged in some creative ways this year.

This bed also has some zucchini, carrots and peppers.  I don't know if the carrots will do well because they are shadowed by the massive tomatoes and zuke plants.  Several varieties of peppers are slowly coming along on the far end.

Green Tomatoes!  The promise of good things {and good meals} to come!

Our 1st squash {and first harvest} on the vine . . . . . . . . then freshly picked.

Little Gracious and I also planted some flowers seeds on Mothers Day.  Our flower bed is doing well.  The birds did feast on a few of our sunflower seeds, but most survived and are growing tall.  They are at the far end of this bed. 

Zinnias are in the middle.  I adore zinnias in the summertime.  They make the best cut flowers and really bright up the house.

Although not in this shot, we also planted some carnation seeds and some other little miscellaneous flower seeds; just to see what grows.

Life is GOOD!

I'd love to hear about your garden this summer!  What are YOU growing?

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Well, that week went by quickly, didn't it? 

I can't believe is Monday again?  I'm missing the sun, sand & relaxation already. 

Ok.  No whining. Chin up.  Work to do. Bills to pay. Laundry {always}.

and the best part of all . . .

LIFE IS STILL GOOD!

See Ya Real Soon!

If you live in the US, you are in the midst of one of the coldest, snowiest winters ever.   We haven't had much snow, but it's been so cold in the deep South this year.  Snow flakes are even predicted along the Gulf Coast tomorrow.  Now THAT is cold, my friends.  It just doesn't snow in Florida & Lower Alabama, but it will tomorrow. 

Wishing for warmer temps, a tropical vacation?  Me too!  That's why I made our beach reservations this week!  Can I get a WOO HOO!

It won't be long till my toes are in the sand.  It will seem like an eternity.  It always does, but at least the room is booked.  It's on my calendar . . . in INK!  Until then,  I'll stay bundled up, try to keep warm and think about how beautiful it will be.

Enjoy . . .

life is good

Need A Vacation

Hmm . . . that could be a question or a statement.

Q. Need a Vacation?

A. YES!!!!!

or

NEED A VACATION!!!!!!! {now!}

If you're like me and won't be taking a vacation anytime soon, treat yourself to a new nail polish. It's alot less expensive and you don't even have to pack!


I usually wear hot pink shades on my toes in the summer, but saw this pretty soft pink {which is actually prettier than this picture} at Target yesterday. I decided to take a break from my usual shades and try something soft. I was surprised when I realized the color is called "Need a Vacation". CUTE! I've used Essie polish before and have always loved the colors & wearability.


Even if you won't be having sand between your toes; at least your toes can look good this summer!

Happy Pedicures, Sweets! Life Is Good!

Happy 4th of July

Long May She Wave!

I am thankful today that we live in a free country. Freedom isn't free however. I am thankful for those who protect & defend us every single day. I am thank for the vision of our forefathers and hope that we can get back to that original intent of democracy for the people by the people rather than the big government path we seem to be going down now. We can't take our independence for granted.

On this 4th of July, enjoy family, good food, fireworks, watermelon & homemade ice . . . and the freedom we enjoy in the United States!

Happy Birthday, America!

Halfway There and a little more

How did it get to be July 1 already?

I cannot believe half of 2009 is in the past! We are halfway to 2010. I hope the rest of this year is a good one for you.

It's been a busy time around here. If you are a regular visitor, you know that we've been doing some home renovation projects. The hardwood is down and we are hoping to get all of the trim put up this weekend. We are also having a new roof put on the house thanks to some hail damage.

Once this house put back together, {and the sound of hammering is a distant memory} I will definitely share pictures. I'll be glad when the work part is done and I can shop for some accessories. That will be the exciting part! At least we are much farther than halfway there on our home projects. Maybe the frequent trips to Lowe's will be fewer and farther between as well. ;-)

Be sure to visit here on Friday for a special surprise!

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For Free??? {asked in my best Adam Sandler Bedtime Stories voice}

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Choose from lanyards, key fobs {wristlet & mini}, clutch wallets & business card cases made from your favorite fabrics by Michael Miller, Amy Butler, Premier Prints & more .

Got some shopping to do? Great! See you at on Etsy!

It Bears Repeating : Blackberry Cobbler Recipe

Some things just bear repeating. It's so good the first time, you have to try it again.

This post is one of those things. It was originally posted in June of 2008, but it is one of the most visited links on my blog so I decided to share it again. I went to the Farmers Market again this week and found beautiful, FRESH, locally grown blackberries. Once again, pristine and plump.

Dessert tomorrow, for Father's Day, will be Blackberry Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream. It doesn't get much better than that. I thought YOU might need a recipe for your Dad's Day dinner, so here ya go! Hope you and your Dad enjoy!!!!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{originally blogged June 20, 2008}

This week, a trip to the local farmers market yielded these beautiful blackberries. They were PERFECT! No blemishes, no bad berries, no mushy spots. We've plan to shop at our farmers market more this year. The local farmers need our support, plus the produce is literally fresh from the field.


After eating a few fresh berries I started craving blackberry cobbler. I don't know why. I've never been a big cobbler eater, but these were just begging to be in a cobbler. I went on the hunt for a quick, easy recipe and found this one, originally from Southern Living, at >recipezaar.com :

Quick & Easy Blackberry Cobber

• 1-1/4 cups sugar
• 1 cup self-rising flour (see note below if you have all purpose flour)*
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups blackberries

Whisk together 1 cup of the sugar with flour & milk. Add melted butter and whisk until just blended. Pour batter into a greased 8x12 baking dish. Sprinkle blackberries & remaining 1/4 sugar over the batter. Bake at 350' for about an hour or until the crust is golden brown. You MUST serve this with vanilla ice cream. ;)

When you bake this, the berries drop to the bottom so the crust turns golden brown.

I will share a few variations I had to make on the recipe. I used an 8x8 pan. The 8x12 pan would have yielded a thinner crust. I didn't have self-rising flour so I used the standard substitute. *Take one cup of plain flour and add 1-1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. I also didn't have stick butter so I used squeeze Parkay that I melted in the microwave. I also didn't have quite 2 cups of berries (all that snacking on the fresh berries took care of that). The cobbler would have been juicier with more berries.

Can you tell, like many good Southern cooks, I only use a recipe loosely. ;-)

It must have been good anyway. I didn't get any pictures of the finished cobber! The family beat me to it with spoons and vanilla ice cream in hand.

If you run across some beautiful berries of any kind, this would be a great way to enjoy them with your family! :-)

Father's Day Fingerprint Friday

What a handsome man and what a cute little baby.

That's me with my Daddy; just a few years ago. :-) He was so handsome and so proud of his little girl. He was a provider & protector; just like our Heavenly Father. Most people say that I look like my Daddy. I guess you could say he left his fingerprints on me; just as God's fingerprints are on us all.

This picture reminds me of how great a Father's love is for his children. Father's Day is Sunday. My Daddy is looking down at me, but I can still feel his love just as I feel the Father's love.

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:

I can see the fingerprints of god
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god
And I know its true
Youre a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them?

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints then go to Pampering Beki's blog to sign the Mr. Linky & find other's who participate.

A Nesting Place

As you may have gathered by previous posts, we have a pool; which in turn means we have a little pool house. It's nothing fancy; nothing more a storage place for floats, chairs, etc. We opened the pool a few weeks ago and cleaned out the pool house for the season. At that time, we found a baby bird and a little nest. The bird was literally at the point of flying the nest so we did away with that nest. We thought the birds were gone for the season.

No so! We were getting some floats {LOVE my Spring Float} out the other day and discovered THIS nest! It had been abandoned, but I was amazed at the construction of pine straw and moss. Birds are truly amazing. This nest was not there a couple of weeks ago. It's a simple little thing, but oh so incredible. This would have been a good picture for Pampering Beki's Fingerprint Friday! :-).

FREE SHIPPING Weekend!

Surprise!

Memorial Day weekend is the official start to summer! You may be out & about this weekend; enjoying an extra day off. There will be burgers to grill, pools to swim in & good times to be had; but I suspect you will spend a little time on your computer this weekend too. ;) Why not treat yourself to a little something special or shop for a gift. June weddings are just around the corner!

Enjoy free shipping on all items

in the Sew Gracious Etsy shop this weekend

through Monday May 25, 2009.

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This special only applies to US orders. Free Shipping special doesn't apply to previously placed orders or bulk orders and may not be combined with any other discount. International customers: I'm happy to offer you 1/2 off standard shipping during this promotion.

Let's GO SHOPPING! :)

Marathon Week

Hey there! Remember me? I used to post this blog regularly. Lately. . . not so much.

I really haven't abandoned you, I promise. You see, I'm a mom, it's the last week of school and I am running a marathon.

Today was the talent show and this afternoon is a surprise beach party for the class. Honors assembly is also this week. Last week we had student council elections, 2 field trips, the spring musical & field day. Needless to say, I've been juggling. I still have orders to work on, sewing to do, etc. Oh yes, and remember, we are trying to get this hardwood flooring put down, so I've also been moving furniture. Luckily Sew Daddy has headed that up; I'm just helping him a little bit. Oh and we opened the pool . . . a whole Saturday was spent on that. Whew! Are you tired yet? ;)

I have a camera full of pictures of new items just waiting to be listed in my Etsy Shop, but haven't had a chance to upload them to my computer for editing. Hang in there, new things are coming. I PROMISE!

In the meantime, I just wanted you to know that I'm still alive & kicking. Just bear with me while I enjoy doing my Mom duties. That's the great part about being a work-at-home-mom. I can work from home, but still be able to those things at school that I enjoy. I don't have to ask off or worry about a boss who might not understand my crazy schedule this time of year.

If you saw my Tweet on >Twitter this morning, you know I've deem this Marathon Week for Moms. It's the last week of school. I wouldn't change a thing. It's good to be a Mom!

Summer starts soon!

Winding Down

What a wonderful week at the beach. It's been filled with fun, family memories and much needed relaxation. :)

It's winding down now; almost time to head home. That's OK too. If we stayed much longer, we wouldn't want to get back to real life. :)

I've taken so many fun pictures on the beach, read a great book and of course, did a little shopping. More to come when I return to the real world.

Happy Weekend!

The Promise of Things to Come . . . again

The Promise of Things To Come . . . again :-)

This new bag {the 2nd of this original design} holds promise of summer in warm, citrus shades of orange, kiwi, mango & more. I love this fabric from the new Riley Collection by Anna Griffin.

It's little more than a month until Easter; time to pick up a cute little Easter basket.
This one is traditional in color & design with chicks, butterflies & Easter eggs.

Boys need cute baskets too.
Little yellow chicks & blue gingham; perfect for your little guy.

All of these items and lots more available in the Sew Gracious Etsy Shop.